Summary

Chapter 2 begins by stating that the world was relatively stable during Cold War, the term “Cold War” itself demonstrates this, and explains why that was the case. Haass argues that the well-defined system of alliances was important factor. In the case of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact, the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR), respectively, explicitly stated which aggression would merit a response. More broadly, U.S. intervention in Korea and Vietnam showed that it was willing to use force to protect its allies and interests. This discouraged both superpowers from testing the resolve of the other, thus preventing war. Perhaps the most important guarantor of stability was nuclear weapons. The massive nuclear arsenals of the U.S. and USSR and the prospect of mutually assured destruction (MAD) discouraged either from starting a war. Additionally, the two...